Fire-escape.



No. 629,205.. Patented'luly I8, I899. C. PEEL.

FIRE ESCAPE. (Applieati an filed June 3, 1899.-

2 Sheets-$haet I.

(No Model.)

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11 629,205. Patentd luly- I8, I899. 0. PEEL.

FIBE- :scmzz. (Application um June a, 1399.!

2 sheets-shut 2.

(No Nodal.)

S M E w W THE NORRIS PETERS co. PHOTD LITHCL WASHINGTON. o. c

' NITED PAT NT Grace.

' OHRISTOPHER'PEEL OF .NEW,YOPVK, Y'. I

* .tiRs-sscAPe-i "SPECIFIClATION forming part of Letters'Iatent dated uly l8, 189th I I Application t me 3,1899 Serial No. 719,206. (No an.)

To all .wztmltit may 0271mm.-

Be it known that I, CnnIsToPH R PEEL, of

the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, 7

inthe county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Impro vements i n Fire- Escapes, of which the followingis a full,clear,

piece 7 will have eontact'with the buildingand. exact description.

This invention relates to fire-escapes of a' type employing a platform or the like at an elevated window and a ladder for descent therefrom.

The object of my inventionis to providea fire-escape of the type indicated which is foldable between two upper windows of a building' and-is capable of release from'folded'ad j ustment to automatically assume operative position, affording convenient and safe means for escape to the ground from either or both of the windows; r I

The invention consists in the ,novelconstruction and combination ofparts', as is here inafter described, and defined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a building and a front 'view' of the: fire-es cape in folded condition thereon. Fig. 2 is a line 4'4: in Fig. 2.

' a 'bent at a right angle on each edge of the like View of the building and a front view of the fire-escape opened out and ready for serv-j ice. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the de-' v vice in partially-opened 'condition,substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a vertical transverse sectional View of the device opened out, taken substantially on the- Fig. 5 is an enlarged 'sectional plan view of the fire-escape folded,

taken substantially on the line in Fig. 1;

and Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional plan View? of details, substantially. on Fig.3.

'In the illustration of the improvement and. its application ma building for service, A in.- dicates theverti cal sideof a building, and'B B two adjacent windows therein spaced apart,

as usual. Between the windows B B is placed the novel fire-escape device, which will now be described.

'Two rectangular metal plates 7 of like dimensions are provided, having a border-flange the line 6 din? walls 9.

plate, thus: giving abo'x-like form to each one.

nections a beingso arranged that 'whennin opened adjustment a border-flange on each wall, an'd thus adapt the remaining portion of :the same to project outwardly at a right angle 'to said wall, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The plates 7 may be designated guard-walls and .in height reach near the tops of the windows B, while their lower portions project somewhatbelow said windows. A rectangular aperture of considerable size is cut in each guard wall 7,having greater dimension lengthwise of the plate it is formed in than transversely of the-same, each aperture a in the guard-walls affording a passage-way therethrough when theguard-walls are in opened condition. A rectangular plate-metal platformer foot-board s is provided for each guardwall 7, said foot-boardsbeing hinged at their lower ends, respectively, upon the inner sides of the guard-walls 7 at the aperturesd and having such relative dimensions that when in folded condition they will each cover the aperture opposite which they are arranged. 1 Each foot-board 8 is furnished with two wing-walls 9 v9, these being respectively hinged by one'edge, so as to be adapted to stand upright at the .outer side and outer endofthe foot-board when the latter ishorizontally disposed, or, in other words, folded outward and downward from the aperture a, normally closed by thewing-walls. The guard-walls7 are each provided with a coiled s rin 'a liance '7 which is'so connected P z: y

thereto that it will exert force to project the 'guard-wallwhen unrestrained outward from the building wall, and spring-hinges b are provided for leach foot-board 8 where it is jointed upon the guard-wall to vwhich it is complementary.

the side wing-wall with whichit coacts, and

Spring-hinges c are employed'to joint the.

said end of the side wing-wall is convexly curved to correspond with the convexity of the end wing-wall.

It will be seen that when both wing-walls 9 9 on each foot-board 8 are erect the act of folding the end wing-wall 9 inwardly willso press upon the convex edge of the side wingwall as to cause it to fold inwardly beneath the end wing-wall. In order to arrest the unfolding movement of each end wing-wall 9 and side wing-wall 9 when they are free to move under stress of their spring-hinges 0, short slots (Z are cut in the edge portions of each foot-board 8 opposite the hinges, and the latter are secured to the foot-boards inside, but near said slot-s.

A tongue e is projected from the edge of a wing-wall below or outside of each hingejoint, which tongues rockinto respective slots d when the wing-walls 9 9 are permitted to unfold,and the unfolding action of each springhinge cwill be arrested when the wing-walls 9 9 stand upright at edges of the foot boards 8.

On the outer end of each unfolded footboard 8 one end g of a flexible connection 10 is secured, and thence said flexible connection (preferably a metal cord or chain) extends through the aperture a of a respective guard-wall 7 over small loose pulleys 72,, and thence through a perforation or thimble i in the building-wall A to have the remaining end secured upon a reel 11, held on the wall of the room, into which the flexible connections 10 are introduced.

A plate-spring 7 is attached upon the upper portion of each guard-wall 7 and projects outwardly through the aperture a of said wall to have'spring-pressure upon the upper end of an end wing-wall 9 when the footboards are folded, so asto enter said apertures.

It will be evident if the fire-escape is in opened condition, as shown in Fig. 2, that the foot-boards 8 will be projected across the building-wall A in opposite directions just below the window B each is thrown in front of, and as a support for each foot-board a bracket-arm 12 is secured on the window-sill or wall adjacent thereto, so that said arms will lie directly below the horizontally-disposed foot-boards and aid the spring-hinges c in sustaining weight imposed upon the foot-' boards. If the fire-escape is closed and is held by the ratchet-and-pawl device on m, it will appear as a box between the windows 13, and it may be protected from rust by enamel or paint.

In Figs. 2 and 3 there is shown a pendentwall A to afford handholds for persons about to descend the ladder.

In case it becomes necessary to use the fireescape it is but the work of a moment to detach the pawl m of the ratchet-wheel m,which will permit the strong springs 7 to throw the guard-walls 7 outwardly and hold them in parallel planes at the sides of the windows B. Simultaneously with the outward movement of the guard-walls 7 the tension of the platesprings 7 projects the foot-boards 8 downwardly until they are disposed horizontally .in front of the windows 13, the spring-hinges -have pressure upon the end wing-walls 9 and fold them, as well as the side wing-walls 9, which will be effected when the foot-boards are flush with the guard-walls 7 and occupy the apertures ct in the latter. A continuation of the rotary movementof the reel 11 will pull the guard-walls 7 toward the building-wall A and finally close one box-like guard-Wall over the other one, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. i

As all portions of the device are formed of metal, heat will not aifect the stability of any part of the same, so that it affords a safe means of escape from a burning building.

In case there is fire in one of the rooms having a window B, toward which the foot-board of an adjacent guard-wall 7 falls when the reel 11 is released, it is contemplated to prevent flame or smoke from interfering with the use of the fire-escape through the remaining opened window B by pulling upon the flexible connection 10, that is fastened to the foot-board in front of the window which is.

unsafe to escape from, so as to raise this footboard and close the aperture a in the guardwall it is hung upon, so that smoke or flame will be prevented from reaching persons using the ladder that is approached from the other window.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination with an upright ladder on a building-wall, of foldable guard-walls above the ladder and adjacent to the windows ofthe building, said walls each having a foot-board foldable over an aperture thereof, and adapted for projection beneath a window, when the guard-walls are adjusted outwardly from the building-wall.

2. The combination with .an upright ladder on a building-wall and held between two windows of the building, of two spring-pressed guard-walls hinged upon the building-wall, each adjacentto one of the windows and disposed above the ladder, two foot-boards each spring-pressed to project outward from an IIO aperture in a respective guard-wall and fall beneath a window, and means to compactly fold the guard-walls and foot-boards from within the building.

3. The combination with an upright ladder.

on abuilding-Wall and held between two windows of the building, of two spaced box-like gnard-walls hinged on the building-Wall and spring-pressed to open at a right angle therewindows therein, each guard-wall having an oblong aperture or passage-way therein, a toot-board hinged by one end upon each guard-wall and spring-pressed to project at a right angle thereto, an end wing-wall and a side Wing-wall, spring-hinged upon each foot-board so as to fold inwardly, a plate-. spring at the aperture in each guard-wall, and adapted to impinge upon the wing-walls of a foot-board to fold them when said foot board is folded to cover the aperture in the guard-wall it is opposite, a flexible connection fastened to the outer end of each footboard and thence extended within the building, and means to shorten said connections and thus fold the wing-walls, foot-boards and guard-walls between the windows.

CHRISTOPHER PEEL. WVitnesses:

'WM. P. PATTON, 3N0. M. BITTER. 

